A Study in Friendship
by Rainbow Magic Girl
Summary: Markus Wiggins is a 12 year old boy who likes to observe and deduce things. After an encounter with Sherlock Holmes, he and his friends get to know the Consulting Detective, and realise he isn't as heartless as he first seems. They experience ups and downs and experience. This is the story of how a group of friends became known as the Baker Street Boys.
1. Meeting Sherlock

A Study in Friendship

Chapter 1: Meeting Sherlock

**Author's Note: A prequel to a multi-chaptered story about the Baker Street Boys. The Boys (or Irregulars) appeared in some of the original stories, and they were a group of street urchins who helped Sherlock Holmes with cases. My version will be based on the book series by Anthony Read. The sequel to this will come, but I have several other stories I want to finish first.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sherlock. I only own my take on the Baker Street Boys.**

Markus Wiggins had always been an inquisitive child. He liked to observe things that most people overlooked – by studying the people around him, he could tell what their hobby was, who their brand new phone came from, whether they were single or not. They were small things, but it made Markus want to know more about things. He often read newspapers and liked detective stories, which was something most 12 year olds wouldn't be interested in.

He lived on Baker Street, in a flat above the family shop. He liked seeing things from above, and, if he wasn't seeing his friends or family members, would look out of his window and watch the neighbours leaving, and try and deduce where they were going. One person who caught his eye was someone living 2 blocks down from him – a tall, curly haired person in a black coat. He would often leave in a taxi, and Markus hadn't been able to deduce where he went. He had contemplated visiting him, but it wasn't until the beginning of the summer holidays that his curiosity got the better of him. He had been looking out of the window when he saw a sleek black car pull up outside the curly-haired person's door. A man with an umbrella stepped out of it and went inside the person's house. Intrigued, Markus went down to the shop where his dad was.

"Where are you going?" Henry Wiggins asked him.

"I am going to meet the neighbour living two doors down."

"Oh, okay then."

Markus knew his dad trusted him, which was why he wasn't asking the reason for the sudden decision. Going out of the shop, he passed the car and saw the door was still open. He cautiously stepped inside, and at the bottom of the stairs he heard voices.

"Sherlock, you know I worry about you. I am simply offering you enough money to get that flat across the road."

"I don't need your help, Mycroft. Now get out of my flat."

The door at the top of the stairs opened, and the man from earlier appeared. Markus rushed out of the flat and by the car, which was clearly a government car. The man came out, followed by the curly haired man. It wasn't hard to guess which one was Sherlock and which one was Mycroft. Mycroft gave him a scrutinising look.

"I hope you have a good explanation for why you were sneaking around my brother's flat." He said.

"I was curious – it's not every day someone from the government visits Baker Street." Markus replied.

"And before you ask how I know you're from the government, I'll tell you. The clothes and the car combined give it away – your clothes are smart, with your suit and tie. You could be a banker, but on closer inspection, your clothes have been freshly cut. I can tell an expensive suit from a cheap one, and this one indicates you clearly spend out lots of money, but aren't concerned about overspending – so, civil servant. The car, of course, is easy – posh black cars aren't exactly common, and even bankers probably wouldn't have them. It's obviously from the government."

Mycroft looked momentarily shocked, before straightening up.

"Well, it seems you're smarter than you look. Sherlock, I will be coming back in a few days." That was all he said before he went back into the car and drove off.

There was a moment's silence before Sherlock spoke again.

"How did you manage to tell what he did from his clothes?"

He didn't sound impressed, or confused, or curious. In fact, Markus couldn't detect anything from the tone of his voice.

"I observe people." Markus said simply.

"Who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Markus Wiggins – I live two doors down. What about you?"

"Sherlock Holmes."

Markus looked at him.

"I see you sometimes leaving in a taxi, sometimes a police car. Yet you're not a police officer, and you're not a private detective, because police don't go to private detectives. So, what do you do?"

"I'm a Consulting Detective – whenever the police are out of their depth, which is always, they consult me. I deduce the facts about a crime scene at a glance." Sherlock explained, before giving him a look not unlike Mycroft's.

"Why are you giving me that look? Is it because most 12 year olds don't come out with things like that?"

"Well, I certainly haven't met a 12 year old boy who can observe things and deduce them. Most of them seem to be obsessed with boring video games. You, however, are different." Sherlock said.

"Well, I certainly don't play boring video games. But how do you do it? You know -the deduction?" Markus pressed on, hoping to get something more out of him.

"I hardly think that you would understand what I do."

"How do you know that?" Markus protested, feeling somewhat offended.

"Even though you can deduce a little, my work is far more complicated. That's why the Police consult me."

Markus felt slightly deflated, but he still continued.

"Isn't there anything I can understand?"

Sherlock seemed to hesitate before answering.

"I do have a website. If you want to know more, type in The Science of Deduction."

"Thanks." Markus said, a little surprised that the man had given him an answer.

"Well, are you to look it up, or are you just going to stand there?"

Markus raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, I'm going." He said, before retreating back to his house.

Well, that was interesting.

-X-

That evening, he went on his laptop and typed in 'The Science of Deduction'. Markus was surprised to find that it came up first in the list. Clicking on it, he started reading.

Sherlock observed things on a much bigger scale. People would send him cases and he would solve them, and he didn't go into detail about what he did because he felt that people wouldn't understand. He would observe and then deduce things from what he saw. There were 3 steps in which he explained what he did, and the last one stuck in Markus's mind.

"When I've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

Well, that was logical. Markus decided that his friends ought to know about him. He had six friends, each of whom shared his interest in crime and puzzle solving. Perhaps, if he talked to Sherlock again, he could introduce his friends to him. Of course, he was being a little optimistic – Sherlock Holmes seemed to care little about the people around him. He even rejected his own brother's offer of help.

Well, his brother had seemed a bit of a creepy git. He knew that one of his friends would use far more colourful language if she ever saw him. Hopefully, she would control herself if the situation ever arose.

Markus decided to save the page on his favourites, and, before he got dinner, he texted his friends to make arrangements for the week-end. He didn't know if they would like Sherlock, or if Sherlock would like them. But he had to try.

**-End of Chapter 1 of 7-**

**I hope you liked this chapter, and my take on Wiggins. I also hope you like my take on the other Baker Street Boys. I recommend reading the books, I find them to be quite good.**


	2. The Boys

A Study in Friendship

Chapter 2: The Boys

**Authors Note: Well, here is the next chapter of A Study in Friendship. In this chapter the other six Baker Street Boys are introduced, and Markus gets to know Sherlock better. I hope you like this chapter, and I would love to know what you think of this story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sherlock. I only own my take on the Baker Street Boys.**

When the week-end finally came around, Markus went over to Speedy's Cafe, where he had arranged to meet his friends. He wasn't worried about fitting them all in there – his six friends and he could easily fit in the cafe. Plus, if he got there early, there wouldn't be many people there anyway. He would tell them about the Consulting Detective and see if they wanted to see Sherlock Holmes for themselves.

After ten minutes, two of his friends came through the door. The first was his oldest friend, Timothy Jenkins. He was a tall, spectacled boy with wild brown hair. He was generally happy, and could talk for ages if no-one stopped him. He was a year younger than Wiggins at eleven, but just as strong – in fact, he was the strongest of all the group.

Rosie Andrews was next. She was the youngest of the girls at ten, and loved making flower garlands in her spare time. She was intrigued by puzzles and the like, and everyone in the group loved her. She had blonde curls, and bright blue eyes, and was always glad to be around the group.

"Tim, Rosie, good to see you." Markus greeted.

"Hi, Markus, good to see you too. I saw Jenny on the way here." Tim replied.

"Will she be long?"

"I don't think so." Rosie added, sitting down opposite him. She looked at him curiously.

"Why did you choose to meet us here? I'm assuming you have something to tell us."

"Never assume things, Rosie. But yes, I did want to tell you something. We'll wait for the rest of the Boys to come first."

"Yes, sir!"

It wasn't long before Ursula, Alfie, and Jenny arrived.

Ursula was the oldest of the group, a year older than Markus. She had curly brown hair, a stern face, and warm hazel eyes. She often acted like a big sister to them all, but hated it when they compared her to one. If they ever went around each other's houses, she was the only one who could actually cook lunch – this had been confirmed after Markus managed to burn the bottom out of his own pan.

Her younger brother, Alfie, was cheeky and bold. He, too, had curls, but they were darker, as were his eyes. He had long ago decided that being Ursula's brother gave him the right to be cheeky to her – of course, she thought otherwise. He could be rather loud at times, but had a good heart deep down – not that he'd ever be caught admitting it.

Then there was Jenny. At first glance, she looked like a boy, with her cropped ginger hair, T-shirt, and scruffy trousers. She was proud of this fact, as she pointed out to the group a lot. She was Irish, and her accent would come through stronger when she was upset or angry.

"I hope you have a good reason for calling us here." Ursula said to Markus.

"Aren't I allowed to see my friends?"

"Well, you obviously want to tell us something; else you wouldn't ask us to meet you here." Ursula pointed out, sitting down next to Rosie.

"When Danny gets here, then I'll tell you."

"What's so important that it requires all of us?" Alfie asked, for once not being sarcastic.

"I already said, when Danny gets here I'll-

"What?"

Jenny looked around to see the final member of the Boys come in.

"You're a bit late, aren't you?" she demanded.

"Sorry, me mum only just dropped me off." Danny replied.

Danny was the youngest of the Baker Street Boys, at nine, and the smallest as well. He had short blonde hair, green eyes, and a cockney accent. He worked at the local theatre, helping out with props and such. He was the joker of the group – sometimes they were good, other times they were so awful he would get objects thrown at him.

"Well, sit down. Apparently Markus had something special to tell us." Alfie said, beckoning to a seat next to him. Danny sat down and gave Markus a questioning look.

"Well, we're all here, what did you want to tell us?" Ursula asked.

Markus took a deep breath.

"Well, the other day, I saw a government car pull up outside the flat two blocks down. I went outside after I saw someone getting out of the car and into the flat. Surprisingly, the door had been left open, so I went in and heard voices at the top of the stairs. One was saying that he wanted to help Sherlock get the flat across the road." Markus explained.

"Who's Sherlock, and why does he want to live in 221?" Tim asked, jumping in.

"Well, if you let me finish, then I will tell you. Anyway, I heard a voice reply that he didn't need Mycroft's help –

"Who's Mycroft?" Tim interrupted again.

"Tim, shush!" Ursula said.

"Mycroft is Sherlock's brother. The door opened, and I ran out, because, obviously, I shouldn't have been in there. When they came out, it was obvious which one was Sherlock and which one was Mycroft. I was asked why I had been in his flat, and I said that it wasn't everyday someone from the government visited Baker Street. Then I told him how I had deduced he was from the government by his clothes and car, and he said I was cleverer than I looked."

"Is he implying that you looked stupid?" Jenny demanded.

"I think he was surprised that a 12 year old could deduce him. After he'd left, Sherlock asked me how I had done that – I told him I observed people. I asked him what he did and he said he was a Consulting Detective."

"Consulting Detective?" Alfie repeated, puzzled.

"He said he can deduce things about crime scenes at a glance. I asked him how he did it, and he said I wouldn't understand what he did. However," he added, seeing Jenny about to say something rude, "he did give me information about his website, The Science of Deduction."

"I've never heard of a Consulting Detective before." Alfie said.

"It says on his website he's the only one in the world – he invented the job." Markus explained.

"That's a little arrogant, inventing your own jobs and then bragging about it." Jenny said,

"Well, he doesn't really brag about it, Jen. I told you because I thought it might interest you guys."

"What, you're going to just introduce us to him, and he'll be alright with it?" Ursula said sceptically.

"Who said anything about introductions?"

"Come off it, Markus. If you had wanted to just tell us about this Sherlock Holmes, you would have texted us or something. You want to introduce us to him." Ursula explained.

"I only thought that-

"I know what you thought, but it doesn't seem like he's a social sort of person."

"Maybe we should just go and see for ourselves before making assumptions about Mr Holmes's character." Jenny suggested.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Danny asked.

"Hey, listen – I'm not saying that we're all going up to his flat. I'll go up, and I'll see if he'll come down. If not, then I'll try another time. I wouldn't put you in danger; but from what I saw, he's clean." Markus assured them.

"Clean?" Ursula inquired, giving off that protective vibe.

"I could tell that he had at least one nicotine patch under his left sleeve. Of course, I would have to see them for myself properly before making assumptions."

Ursula visibly calmed down.

"Well, so long as he won't try anything, that's alright."

"Obviously our friend wouldn't introduce us to someone if he thought he was dangerous, stupid." Alfie pointed out.

"Stupid, yourself! I'm looking out for us here." She retorted.

"Okay, let's just agree that only Markus will go up there, before we get into a huge argument about this." Tim jumped in, always the peacekeeper.

"I agree – we shouldn't get into petty arguments." Jenny added, her accent coming through.

"Can we just _go _already? I'm bored waiting here!"

Markus resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Come on, then!"

-X-

Markus had knocked on the door when not one, but two cars came around the corner. One was a police car, and the other was Mycroft's car. He tried not to let out a frustrated sigh – one thing he didn't need today was Mycroft bothering them again.

Sherlock then came out just as the police car stopped and a grey haired man stepped out.

"What- who are you?" the mysterious man asked Markus.

Markus studied him – he was a detective inspector, so this meant that he had a case for Sherlock. He recalled seeing him before, when he had looked out of the window on rainy days.

"My name is Markus Wiggins." He introduced himself.

"We seem to have met again, Wiggins." Sherlock said, and Markus turned towards him.

"Morning, Mr Holmes."

"Why are you here?"

He was blunt, as Markus expected he would be. He tried to think of a way that he could explain to Sherlock that he wanted to know more about deduction and to tell him about his friends – without making himself seem obsessed with the Consulting Detective.

Before he could answer, Sherlock gave him a piercing look before he started talking again.

"As I deduced yesterday – you're not the sort of child who lets things go easily. You read up on my website, and now you want to know more about what I do, despite the fact that I said you wouldn't understand it. You're willing to learn, and now you've brought your friends to see what they think of me." He said.

"How'd he know that?" Danny asked suddenly.

"More to the point, who's this guy?" Jenny demanded, pointing behind Sherlock.

The group looked behind Sherlock, and Markus stifled a sigh.

"That...is Sherlock's brother." He said, as Mycroft came up to them, umbrella in hand.

"We've got the whole here, haven't we?" Jenny commented.

"Here, he sure does look like a government person." Danny added.

"Ah, Sherlock, I see you've made friends with the neighbours." Mycroft sneered.

"I haven't made friends with them, Mycroft.

"Well, I certainly hope not. They're of no use to you Sherlock. Tell these ragamuffins to go home."

"Ragamuffins?" Ursula repeated furiously. This brought on several shouts from the group.

"Who do you think you are you stuck up prick?"

"I bet your brother isn't even worth knowing."

"This ain't how I expected this meeting to go!"

Sherlock held a hand up and they fell silent.

"Please don't try and deafen the population with your cries. I am fully aware that my brother likes to interfere with people's lives and that therefore makes him unpopular with everyone."

Mycroft had now fixed Markus with a steely glare.

"Perhaps you ought to busy yourself with other things. My brother has neither the time nor the care to talk to you. You are just a boy – don't get involved with things you wouldn't understand." He said.

"Or else what?" Markus challenged, annoyed with the government official.

"Markus, this isn't worth it." Ursula said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Mycroft, what do you want?" Sherlock asked.

"Simply checking up on you, dear brother."

"You 'checked up' on him the other day, and it looked more like harassment than brotherly love." The boy pointed out.

"If he's the government official, then interference is probably part of his daily life." Alfie said, earning a snort from Jenny.

"Only in things he deems important or a 'threat' to my safety. Now, Mycroft, do I have to tell you again? I don't want your presence in my life – I don't you checking up on me every few days."

"I worry about you."

"Sherlock, are you interested in this or not?" The man next to the police car said.

"Ah, Lestrade, I'm assuming this is related to David Hart's case?"

"Some new evidence has come up and we need you to examine it." Lestrade said.

"Right – I'm assuming it was found at his home."

"Yes, in the living room."

"Right."

Markus wanted to protest – why did everything get in the way? Sherlock turned to him and studied him.

"Most people can't stand to be around me. Yet you and your friends have remained here, stood up against my brother, and haven't really reacted at all."

"Maybe I'm not easily intimidated." Markus added.

"Yeah, you seem alright." Danny said.

"I think we're fine around him, Ursula."

Sherlock didn't give any indication of what was going through his mind, but he straightened up and sent a look to Mycroft, who eventually went back to his car. When the black car left the street, Sherlock muttered something before turning back to Markus.

"I think your skills can be honed. Come to my flat tomorrow, 11.00, and we'll talk."

Markus nodded.

"I would prefer it if you came alone, of course."

"No way - my parents would never allow that. You would have to talk to them first!" He protested.

There was a long pause.

"Very well, I will ask your parents...permission."

Then he hailed a taxi and left. Markus wasn't surprised, but he was shocked at how he could just end a conversation like that.

"Yeah, he's always like that." Lestrade said.

"How long have you known him?"

"Three bloody long years."

"What do you think of him?"

"Well, I think he's a great man – and someday, if we're lucky, he'll be a good one. If he really meant what he said, that means he's willing to give you a chance, and that's rare. Just try not to hit him when he deduces your whole life history, okay?"

Markus nodded, and the Inspector got in the car and left. Then the street was quiet again.

"Well, what do we do now, Markus?"

The boy turned to his friends.

"I think this is just the beginning."

**-End of Chapter 2 of 7-**

**For those of you who have read the Baker Street Boys, hopefully you can guess who is who. I will be taking their cases – and making a few of my own – and placing them in a modern-day setting. This Fanfiction takes place in 2008, but the sequel be set in 2010. I hope you enjoyed it.**


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